My cousin asked me last night if I new what team(s) the Beatles supported back in the day. After a bit of raking around on the web I came up with mixed answers. Most say they weren't interested in football. I read that Paul's Uncle was a Toff and lets not forget that Albert Stubbins is on the Sgt. Pepper album cover.

My cousin asked me last night if I new what team(s) the Beatles supported back in the day. After a bit of raking around on the web I came up with mixed answers. Most say they weren't interested in football. I read that Paul's Uncle was a Toff and lets not forget that Albert Stubbins is on the Sgt. Pepper album cover.

Anyone know anything else?

Here Ya Go...

Did any of the Beatles ever express an interest in football, in particular whether they favoured Liverpool or Everton," asks Steven Draper, "or did they steer clear of the subject for fear of alienating potential fans?"

The answer, James, is ambiguous at best. The Beatles were never regulars at either Anfield or Goodison Park - so it really depends on which titbit of folklore you choose to swallow.

Donald Philips is among many who think that the Sergeant Pepper cover is the killer giveaway. Standing just on Marlene Dietrich's shoulder grinning madly is Albert Stubbins, the red-haired Liverpool centre forward - and the only player to make the many-faced cover.

While there are those who claim, rather mean-spiritedly, that Stubbins only made the cover because John Lennon liked his name, many more are determined to prove that the Beatles worshiped at the Kop when not hopping across the continents for a visit to the Maharishi.

Karl Coppack comes up with Paul McCartney trying to get the 1977 Liverpool v Man United FA Cup final on the radio while on his boat in the Caribbean, while the words clutching at straws come to mind for both Stephen Pepper - who recalls the Beatles wearing a huge red-and-white scarf in a skiing scene of Help! - and Ian Gresham, who remembers snaps from 1968's Mad Day Out photo session of McCartney wearing a red-and-white rosette.

A number of you with a worrying knowledge of Beatles lyrics also point out that Matt Busby - an ex-Liverpool player - gets a namecheck on Dig It.

But there are equally tenuous claims for a link between McCartney and Everton. Paul has been known to mention that his uncles used to support the Toffees - and that every now and then he would tarry along with them.

And then there was the rumour that warmed Everton hearts a couple of years back that McCartney was about to invest a lot of money with the club. They're still waiting for that investment.

The real answer seems to be that the Beatles did not have any great love of football - unusual in four lads from a footballing city, as Karl Naden points out, but not impossible. Indeed, the only positive sighting of a Beatle at a sporting event comes from Iain Saunders, who sat behind McCartney at a New York Yankees baseball game.

Finally George Harrision's reply to those impertinent enough to ask which club he supported was the obtuse: "There are three teams in Liverpool and I prefer the other one." Which leaves us very much where we started.

Not much help I know, I have heard several times that Paul favoured Everton though, but really they were all just into their music..

This is a better answer and about right for Brian Epstein :

Which football (football) team did each of the Beatles support, Liverpool or Everton?Knowing the people of Liverpool as well as I do, I would find it impossible that 4 young Liverpool lads would not passionately support either of the two Merseyside football clubs.

I read an article recently that Mr Epstein, their manager, absolutely forbade them early on in their careers from ever publicly supporting either club. He didn't want to alienate half the Merseyside record buying public because of support for one team over the other. It makes sense, I guess. However, this article in question made no mention of which Beatle supported which club. Then again I did read once on the internet that Paul McCartney is an Evertonian, but who knows how true that is.

Anyway, the fact is that none of the Beatles were really very interested in football..remember that as older kids they spent almost all their time playing music and were "arty" rather than sporty.

John took a vague passing interest in the game as a social phenomenon but didnt really follow a particular team. Paul attended the 1968 FA Cup Final ( Everton v West Bromwich Albion) and there is a famous photo of him being hassled for autographs as he enters Wembley, but he has always claimed that he isn't bothered about football, and certainly he has never been seen at Goodison Park. George had absolutely no interest at all, although he enjoyed cricket quite a lot and was a member of Lancashire CCC for a few years before his death. Ringo has never shown any sporting interest of any sort.

Thanks for the reply, but I know some distant cousins of George and they claim George and Paul supported Everton, while Ringo and John were Liverpool fans. Remember, way back in the 1940s and 50s Everton was the Catholic team and Liverpool was Protestant. Coincidently, Paul and George were RC's.

Did any of the Beatles ever express an interest in football, in particular whether they favoured Liverpool or Everton," asks Steven Draper, "or did they steer clear of the subject for fear of alienating potential fans?"

The answer, James, is ambiguous at best. The Beatles were never regulars at either Anfield or Goodison Park - so it really depends on which titbit of folklore you choose to swallow.

Donald Philips is among many who think that the Sergeant Pepper cover is the killer giveaway. Standing just on Marlene Dietrich's shoulder grinning madly is Albert Stubbins, the red-haired Liverpool centre forward - and the only player to make the many-faced cover.

While there are those who claim, rather mean-spiritedly, that Stubbins only made the cover because John Lennon liked his name, many more are determined to prove that the Beatles worshiped at the Kop when not hopping across the continents for a visit to the Maharishi.

Karl Coppack comes up with Paul McCartney trying to get the 1977 Liverpool v Man United FA Cup final on the radio while on his boat in the Caribbean, while the words clutching at straws come to mind for both Stephen Pepper - who recalls the Beatles wearing a huge red-and-white scarf in a skiing scene of Help! - and Ian Gresham, who remembers snaps from 1968's Mad Day Out photo session of McCartney wearing a red-and-white rosette.

A number of you with a worrying knowledge of Beatles lyrics also point out that Matt Busby - an ex-Liverpool player - gets a namecheck on Dig It.

But there are equally tenuous claims for a link between McCartney and Everton. Paul has been known to mention that his uncles used to support the Toffees - and that every now and then he would tarry along with them.

And then there was the rumour that warmed Everton hearts a couple of years back that McCartney was about to invest a lot of money with the club. They're still waiting for that investment.

The real answer seems to be that the Beatles did not have any great love of football - unusual in four lads from a footballing city, as Karl Naden points out, but not impossible. Indeed, the only positive sighting of a Beatle at a sporting event comes from Iain Saunders, who sat behind McCartney at a New York Yankees baseball game.

Finally George Harrision's reply to those impertinent enough to ask which club he supported was the obtuse: "There are three teams in Liverpool and I prefer the other one." Which leaves us very much where we started.

Not much help I know, I have heard several times that Paul favoured Everton though, but really they were all just into their music..

This is a better answer and about right for Brian Epstein :

Which football (football) team did each of the Beatles support, Liverpool or Everton?Knowing the people of Liverpool as well as I do, I would find it impossible that 4 young Liverpool lads would not passionately support either of the two Merseyside football clubs.

I read an article recently that Mr Epstein, their manager, absolutely forbade them early on in their careers from ever publicly supporting either club. He didn't want to alienate half the Merseyside record buying public because of support for one team over the other. It makes sense, I guess. However, this article in question made no mention of which Beatle supported which club. Then again I did read once on the internet that Paul McCartney is an Evertonian, but who knows how true that is.

Anyway, the fact is that none of the Beatles were really very interested in football..remember that as older kids they spent almost all their time playing music and were "arty" rather than sporty.

John took a vague passing interest in the game as a social phenomenon but didnt really follow a particular team. Paul attended the 1968 FA Cup Final ( Everton v West Bromwich Albion) and there is a famous photo of him being hassled for autographs as he enters Wembley, but he has always claimed that he isn't bothered about football, and certainly he has never been seen at Goodison Park. George had absolutely no interest at all, although he enjoyed cricket quite a lot and was a member of Lancashire CCC for a few years before his death. Ringo has never shown any sporting interest of any sort.

Thanks for the reply, but I know some distant cousins of George and they claim George and Paul supported Everton, while Ringo and John were Liverpool fans. Remember, way back in the 1940s and 50s Everton was the Catholic team and Liverpool was Protestant. Coincidently, Paul and George were RC's.